


We grow together (because we heal together)

by Diamondisbackbitch



Category: Black Panther (2018), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: BC I SAY SO, Blowjobs, Bondage, Brainwashing, Emotional bonding, Erik Killmonger Lives, Imprisonment, Is This a Ship?, M/M, Prisoners bonding, Referenced Torture, Torture, bc I get distracted by plot okay, how do I tag this?, not in a sexual way - Freeform, slight slow burn, slowburn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-30
Updated: 2018-11-29
Packaged: 2019-09-02 03:02:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16778308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Diamondisbackbitch/pseuds/Diamondisbackbitch
Summary: Erik survives only to be sentenced to life imprisoned deep in a Wakandan prison. No one but the guards for company.Forever.Unless, of course, it turns out that there's a problem with the cryofreeze tanks. And T'Challa refuses to let an international assassin run free in his country.





	We grow together (because we heal together)

**Author's Note:**

> is Erik/Bucky even a ship? Who knows but it is now because I say it's cute.
> 
> the scene cuts are everywhere bc this is a 100k work story idea that has been squished into two (potentially 3-4) chapters

"We have to keep him in a coma for the time being. He fought us every second until we put him under, so I think it's better to wait until he's where you want to put him before we let him become conscious again." Shuri frowned, staring down at Killmonger's unconscious figure across her medical table. She'd healed him fine enough, but it took four Dora Milaje to keep him restrained before he was put under. "Speaking of which. I don't suppose you've decided what to do with him, brother?'

T'Challa groaned and shook his head. "No. I haven't and the elders are getting worried. I know we have to keep him restrained and under heavy watch, but... he's my cousin. This anger is my father's making, not because he is a bad person. I can't simply toss him in a prison like a common criminal."

Shuri turned to glare at him. "Brother, I pride myself on being honest with you. So I want you to listen to me now; Erik tried to murder over half the entire world and destroy life in Wakanda as we know it. He's not a common criminal. Because he's a lot more dangerous. Prison is the best thing you can do for him, because otherwise the elders are going to start calling for a death penalty." She warned. "So make up your mind. And quickly. Before someone else does it for you."

She was right. Shuri was always right. T'Challa groaned again and took another long look at Erik. "I'll find somewhere safe for him. Just keep him under for now, alright? I'll let you know when i figure it out."

Shuri nodded. "Aright." She watched him leave before rolling her eyes. 

X X X X X X X X X X X X

Erik woke up feeling the weight of chains across his body. Princess Shuri standing over him, a flashlight in her hand. Shining it into his eyes like she was trying to blind him. He growled, struggling against the heavy vibranium chains and shackles that prevented hims from moving more than a few inches. "Let me go! Why didn't you just! Let me die!" He screamed. Thrashing desperately.

"I told him we needed to let him wake up in the cell. But no, a ceremony." Shuri grumbled, stepping back. "Let's just get this over with." She nodded to the Dora Milaje to drag him to his feet. "Follow me. Try to ignore all the people whose lives you almost ruined booing around you." She snarked, leading the way outside to the long parade like walk to the prison building. Killmonger dragged along behind her by the stone faced soldiers keeping him in line.

Erik growled. The shame and anger welling inside of him. Couldn't T'Challa just let him die? He'd lost the fight. Told the re-crowned king to let him die like a warrior. Even his last request seemed too kind for them to allow him apparently.

Seeing the king himself waiting to open the door to his new 'home' was the icing on it all. Erik snarled, going back to kicking and fighting to get out of his restraints. "Why didn't you just let me die!" He screamed, breaking free just long enough to go right into T'Challa's face and spit. "Was that too kind for you? Had to let me rot in a cell, didn't? They'll call you a king, but you'll never be anything but a coward and a monster!" The Dora Milaje dragged him away as he screamed. Almost on the verge of tears as he was shoved into a cell. Not even a window once the door sealed shut behind him. His chains retracted into simple gold bracelets.

They were mocking him. Gold shackles. Finally alone, he allowed himself to dissolve into tears.

X X X X X X X X X X X X X

"The cryopods were damaged in the fight." T'Challa sighed as he stared at the screen. Steve had trusted them to take care of Bucky. He might be an assassin, but he meant a lot to Steve. "I can't let him be free in the country; the elders would have my head. They've been mad enough about this Erik business already. I don't know what I can do."

Steve pursed his lips. "We could take him back here. Figure out a way to keep him in one of the tower's rooms. So he doesn't feel imprisoned, but he's still where we can keep an eye on him." He frowned. "Is there anything I can do to help with Killmonger? I know he's your business, but if there's anything I can do.." He shrugged. "Just let me know, alright?"

"I'll keep you informed. I think it's best I talk to the council first. Thank you for the offer." T'Challa gave his friend a smile before hanging up the call and sitting back on the couch. If he could get Steve to take both Bucky and Erik then he'd kill two birds with one stone. But Erik was dangerous. Not to mention it was Wakanda that needed to serve him justice for what he did. 

He really did need to talk to the council. He sighed and walked down to the throne room, considering his options.

1\. Let the Avengers take both prisoners. deal with some fallout of not letting Wakanda deal with Erik.

2\. Keep both. Find somewhere to keep Bucky safe from potentially endangering his people while accepting that it wasn't his fault for what he did for Hydra and not treating him like a prisoner.

3\. Give Bucky back to Steve and keep Erik in Wakanda to serve out his life in prison. Risk Killmonger getting loose in Wakanda and trying to implement his plans again.

add-on of #1. Risk Erik getting out in America and trying to implement his plans again.

add-on of #2 risk Erik getting loose in Wakanda while Bucky was still there and trying to implement his plans again. Bast knows what Bucky might do in that situation.

He was screwed.

\---

"So you wish to send the prisoner and the soldier to America?" A tribe leader asked, frowning at the king. "Are you sure this is wise?"

T'Challa nodded firmly. "As the cryopods are damaged we cannot keep the soldier here, so it is best he goes back to the Avengers. And I must admit their security surpasses even our own. Especially in the first weeks of his imprisonment he will be incredibly dangerous. I cannot risk him being among our own people." He explained. Glad that the Elders appeared to like his suggestion once he explained it that way.

"I agree." Another leader chimed in. "It's better that we get this man away from our people. At least until we can repair the damage he's done to our country."

T'Challa smiled. Finally, that was taken care of. Maybe he could rest easily tonight.

X X X X X X X X X X X X

Treated like a fucking animal. Erik snarled behind the bars of his cage. His cage... Sitting in his vibranium chains behind bars on a plane waiting to be shipped off to America to rot in a slightly different prison cell. Perfect.

He watched with a glare as the brought in another man. White, long hair, metal arm. Okay, the arm was pretty cool if he was being honest. Who even was this guy?

"You'll be staying back here. Unrestrained except for the cuff." Okoye explained, taking off the thin cuffs from Bucky's wrists. "That just keeps you from using that arm. Once you're back in America with the Avengers they can decide what to do, but for now that's the rules."

Bucky smiled, shrugging. "It's fine. I know you're taking a lot of risks. Thank you. For everything." Okoye was one of the few people he'd interacted with in Wakanda and she'd been firm, but kind.

Okoye saluted him, smiling softly as she left them alone to tend to the king.

Erik waited until she'd left before spitting out the gag. Gently working on the restraint that kept him sitting down i the corner so he'd hopefully have more mobility. "So what are you in for?" He glanced up at the other man. "I'm guessing it's not that bad, since you ain't tied up. But you're in here with me, so they can't be scared I'm gonna kill you."

Bucky scoffed. "Yeah, I don't think they'd be worried about that. And you probably shouldn't work on those restraints like that. There's cameras." He pointed at the four hidden cameras in the room before slumping down on the floor. "Okoye won't like that."

"Who are you? You don't tell me what to do." He wriggled his way out of the restraint so he could walk up to the bars and sneer. "You ain't got shit on me, man."

Bucky rolled his eyes and laid back. Thankful the floor was decently soft, even though he'd hardly complain with how tired he was. Cryosleep was oddly very tiring. "I'm going to get a nap. You may want to do so too because it may be awhile before we get to sleep again." He warned. "Steve is... Well, you'll see." he smirked, closing his eyes.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Bucky didn't respond, only adding to Erik's growing frustration. "Fucking hell."

X X X X X X X X X X X

Steve pulled his friend into a hug immediately upon seeing him. "Buck- Oh god it's so good to see you again."

Bucky smiled and hugged him back. "S' been too long." He agreed. "I missed you."

"You know I hate to break up a sweet reunion like this, but I'd like to be literally anywhere else." Erik rolled his eyes at the couple. "Like hell. Please?"

"So this is the infamous Killmonger." Steve crossed his arms and looked him over. "I thought you'd be taller."

Erik glared at him. "I will saw you into pieces and burn them at the foot of the statue of liberty."

"Yes." T'Challa affirmed. "And he's always like this. Thank you for doing this for us." He looked and sounded tired down to his core. "I'm afraid we cannot stay long, but I'm sure you understand."

Steve nodded. "Absolutely. And don't worry, we'll keep Killmonger secure here. I promise you."

T'Challa saluted him, following Okoye back to the ship. He had a country to run and rebuild. He probably could've left this mission to Okoye, but he'd wanted to see his cousin off. As terrible as he was, they were still family. And he still cared about him.

"Let's get him downstairs." Steve mumbled, grabbing Erik's arm and leading him inside. "How was the trip?"

Bucky shrugged, walking just to Erik's right to make sure he didn't try to escape. "It was fine. He's annoying as all hell, but I got to sleep eventually." he smirked.

"You're one to talk, aren't you? I bet'cha think you're all that tough aren't you?" Erik huffed, pulling out of Steve's grip. "Let me go. Only thing I'm guilty of is trying help oppressed people fight back, got it?" He backed away as he talked until he finally touched a door. As quickly as he could with his arms tied behind his back he opened the door, ran inside, slammed the door shut behind him, and locked it.

Now all he needed was to get out of these cuffs and out of this building. But that shouldn't be too hard.

"I know you're scared." Bucky stood in front of him, an open door to his left showing Erik's mistake. "You're not going to be hurt here. I don't care what you did, you're still a human being. We both are." He tried his best to calm Erik. He wasn't doing great at it, obviously, but he managed to grab him well enough. "You're going to be fine. I promise."

"Let me go!" Erik thrashed, trapped between Bucky and the locked door. "I won't live the rest of my life rotting in some jail cell. I don't care if it's in Wakanda or America. You can't keep me locked away."

Steve grabbed Erik's arms, more firmly this time, and took him back into the hallway. "I wouldn't call it much of a cell, but you can say what you like." He smiled, opening a door at the end of the hall and helping Erik inside. "T'Challa insisted that we provide you with everything you could need. Well, except anything you could use to escape." He smiled softly, running a hand through his blonde hair. "And don't forget; you're living in an entire building full of superheroes who won't hesitate to take you down. You might want to think carefully if you so much as think about trying anything." He warned, hitting the remote in his pocket to turn Erik's restraints back into the gold wristbands. "Unless there's anything else you need, I'll leave you to settle in."

"You're all sick, you know that? Sitting up here high and dry while millions of people around you starve because you care more about stopping alien attacks than actually helping people."

"I'll take that as a no then." Steve sighed. "I'll check on you later. There's food in the minifridge and the cabinets over there. There's extra clothes in the box under the bed too if you want to change."

Erik finally gave up and looked around the room. it was small, but actually nicer than most apartments he'd lived in during his life. A small fridge, cabinets on one side of the room and the bed on the other along with a door that led to a bathroom. Oh thank god, the bathroom was separate. There were cameras all over the room and he wasn't doing his business with an audience. The bed was soft enough. Twin sized, but big enough that he could lay down comfortable enough.

So he was in a jail masquerading as a decent place to live. Nice.

Whatever, might as well get some rest. Since he was too angry on the plane to even try.

X X X X X X X X X X X X X

"I left the food inside, but he was asleep when I went back. Figured he might attack if I woke him up, so he's probably still passed out." Steve put down his book. "You're worried aren't you? About him?"

Bucky nodded, staring down at his feet. "He needs help, Steve. Help that we can give him."

"I think it's best that we leave him alone for now. Why don't you get some rest? Once he calms down we can look into therapy and rehabilitation. Only if T'Challa says that it's okay at that. Remember, he's not our jurisdiction."

"You're right." Bucky shrugged. "Still, I hope we can help him." He sighed and turned to leave. "Let me know if you need anything, okay?" He had the room across from Steve and they stayed on either side of Killmonger's holding room. Cell. Whatever they wanted to call it. There was noise coming from inside Erik's room, almost like he was trying to scream, but...

Bucky put his hand up to the scanner and walked into the room. "Oh my god." Erik, the growling tough mess that only seemed to yell and fight, was crying. Hugging a pillow to his chest and crying deep in his sleep. Jerking every few seconds as if he was being struck. "Erik?"

He didn't move.

"Can you hear me?" Apparently not, but Bucky still approached slowly. "Hey, it's alright." he whispered, sliding a hand down Erik's side, checking his temperature after he was done. God, he was burning up. Sticky with sweat too, but that was mostly not as worrying. Bucky turned down the temperature, glancing back when Erik full on /whined/. Reaching out for the touch he'd lost.

Bucky smirked softly. He knew that feeling too. Nightmares. Except he'd always had Steve there with him. "It's gonna be okay." He whispered to Erik, wrapping his arms around him as he slid into the bed behind him, glad to see the man relax immediately. "Everything is gonna be just fine." He purred.

X X X X X X X X X X X X

Erik woke up, nearly paralyzed with fear when he realized someone was holding him down. A quick glance provided no weapons, so he pushed whoever it was off him with as much force as he could muster and rolled off the bed, quickly hopping to his feet, ready to defend himself.

Bucky grunted, tumbling off the bed and laying on the ground a moment to try to gather himself before standing up, stepping back and holding a hand out to keep Erik at bay. "I'm not gonna hurt you." He backed away until his back hit the door. 

"What were you doing with me?" Erik demanded, holding his fists out and growling. "Don't think you can just come in here whenever you want. I don't give a shit if I'm locked up, I still got rights."

"I understand. I'm sorry, okay? You were having a nightmare. I was just trying to help. I swear I didn't mean to fall asleep in here. Honest." Bucky gnawed on his lower lip. "I just wanted to help."

Erik huffed. "Fuck off. Just.. Leave me alone, got it? I got enough shit growing up from dudes like you, I don't need more of it now."

"People like me?" Bucky rolled his eyes. "If that's how you wanna handle this then fine, but if I walk past here and you're screaming and crying in your sleep again then I'll be back in here. I know what those are like and I'm not gonna leave you alone for that."

"You won't find me like that again." Erik huffed. "Just leave me alone, I don't need your pity." He turned gracefully and bent over to look into a cabinet absentmindedly. Not really looking for anything, just waiting for Bucky to leave.

Bucky smiled weakly and left him alone.

Finally.

Erik groaned and stretched, popping his joints until he didn't feel stiff anymore. Now, to find something for breakfast.

X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X

Got it.

Erik grinned at the metal pin in his hand. Bucky didn't lock anything but the mechanical lock, so he didn't need a handprint to get out. Hopefully. There was always the chance it would set off the alarm when he opened the door, but honestly it was a risk he had to take. He wasn't far from outside, so as long as he could get out then he'd be fine. He just needed to get out of there.

It took him almost half an hour to get the damn door unlocked it was such a good lock, but he did it. No audible alarms, but he still needed to be quick. He ducked down the hallway, checking behind every corner to ensure he wouldn't be spotted. Finally reaching the door to freedom unscathed-

"Goddammit." Bucky grabbed his arm tight in his metal hand, dragging Erik into a closet before anyone saw him. "Are you insane?! Do you realize what the others are instructed to do if they see you walking around without cuffs on and at least one guard? Hell, Natasha would've just shot you where you stood. I don't think you'd even have to be out of your room for that.." He chuckled at his own joke before shaking his head. "You know what? Give me your hand?"

"What the fuck? No-" Erik protested as Bucky grabbed his hand and began wrapping it in gauze. "Let me go!" He didn't dare yell, but his tone was still demanding.

Bucky ignored him and tapped a few buttons on his phone, making cuffs around Erik's upper arms and loose chains around his wrists appear. "Let's get you back to your cell. Maybe this time you'll have enough sense not to try breaking out in the middle of the goddamn day." He muttered, dragging Erik out of the closet and back through the hallways. Running right into Steve.

"What is he doing out here?" Steve demanded, hand instinctively reaching for a shield he wasn't carrying. 

Bucky shrugged and kept walking, forcing Steve to keep pace. "He hurt his hand. Didn't want to leave him alone in case he kept trying to hurt himself before I got back. Might wanna double check his room for potential weapons; he's pretty creative."

"I'll call Natasha. She can find anything that could be a potential weapon in a hundred mile radius. Do you mind staying with him while I get her? T'Challa mentioned he might hurt others, but doubted he'd hurt himself. I'll let him know the update." Steve gave a tight smile before trotting off to find Nat. Leaving Bucky to lead Erik back to the cell on his own.

Erik waited until he was back in his cell, restraints off, Bucky blocking the door firmly, before he dared to speak. "Why'd'ya lie? You could've just told him I tried to escape."

Bucky snorted. "Yeah? And what would they do once they knew you could get out of this room? Put you in one a whole lot shittier that's what. Trust me, I've lived through the same system they implement with prisoners here. They might not want to admit it, but SHIELD gave them a routine with people like us that they still have trouble breaking. After this you get a bed, a few shelves to keep extra food on, a shower that you'll use as a sink and a small curtained off area instead of a bathroom. If you get out of that or cause trouble they'll put you in something smaller. A bundle of blankets for a bed, a showerhead attached to the ceiling, and a toilet. Nothing else. No privacy. Still get out of that? You get a solid vault. Nothing but concrete and steel on every side of you. Maybe a bucket if they don't feel like cleaning up your mess. One meal a day. No more showers. And if you're still sane enough to get out of that then you will probably find yourself strapped to a table in a lab. With no mobility. No Self. No-" His breathing was quickly getting labored, fingers twitching as he glanced at every side of the room. Like he was searching for someone. Something that wasn't there.

Oh fuck. What was he even supposed to do about that? "Hey, hey I'm right here." He took Bucky's trembling hand and was immediately pinned against the wall, the plaster cracking against the pressure from Bucky's strength. "Woah hey- Help! Fuck! HELP!" He could feel a rib crack under the pressure. Damn he was strong. "L- let me go!" It was getting hard to breathe, even as he put all his strength into pushing Bucky off. "Let me go!"

The door burst open, revealing Steve and a red headed girl that had to be Natasha who managed to pull Bucky off of him, letting him drop to the floor.

Erik groaned, clutching his chest, struggling to breathe.

"What happened? Did you say anything to him? Did he just attack you? What happened?" Steve demanded, kneeling in front of Erik while Natasha calmed Bucky.

"I didn't say anything. He was just talking about old SHIELD stuff bein locked up or somethin. I think something's broken." He groaned, trying and failing to sit up. "I felt a rib crack."

Steve nodded. "We'll get you to the medical wing in a minute. What was he talking about? Exactly? Did he mention Hydra?"

"No. Just SHIELD. Being locked up. Like the different rooms and stuff. He barely made any sense anyway, alright? That's all I know." He winced in pain and grabbed Steve's arm. "He broke my fucking rib. I did /nothing/ to him, I swear. Got it?"

"Nat? Could you take him to Bruce and get him patched up? I can get Bucky back to his room and get this figured out" Steve shrugged off Erik and went to Bucky, who had managed to pass out on the floor. Or maybe Nat knocked him out. "I'll meet back up with you later."

Natasha glared at him. "Fine. See you later then." She grabbed Erik's arm. "Let's get you fixed up then."

X X X X X X X X X X X X X X

Erik woke up strapped to a table. Bucky's words ringing in his head. "Let me go!" He struggled for a moment before pain blossomed in his chest. "Fuck- ah!" He winced. 

Bruce frowned and walked back over to him. "You might wanna lay back. I fixed the rib, but your chest will be sore for a few weeks. Just try to rest, okay?"

Erik groaned. "Great. And you are?" He growled still struggling somewhat against the restraints. 

"Name's Bruce Banner. I'm a scientist. And apparently the medical bay now." He huffed. "Steve'll be here soon to escort you back to your cell. I'll give you some pain meds if you want, but I can't give you any to take with you. Captain's orders." He smirked at his own joke, grabbing two pills out of a bottle.

As much as Erik wanted to tell Bruce to go fuck himself, the pain was jarring at best and unbearable when he moved too much. "I'll take the pills. Thanks." he muttered, allowing him to feed him the pills and wash them down with water. "Thanks." He muttered again, unsure what else he could say.

Bruce shrugged. "No problem. You're not the first person Buck's attacked and probably won't be the last. It's just stress and flashbacks we think, but Hydra really did a number on his brain. That's why he was in cryosleep back in Wakanda. To keep himself and everyone else safe."

"This may sound like a stupid question, but... who is he? Like, what's with the metal arm? I know SHIELD ended up bein evil and all that, but why does he talk about it so different from everybody else? He said he was locked up there. Like me here."

"I guess that's one way to put it." Bruce thought for a moment. "Bucky is an assassin. /Was/ an assassin. For the dark part of SHIELD called Hydra. They tortured him and brainwashed him, stuff like that. I think he likes you because h thinks you're like him; messed up, but not unforgivable. He went through a bunch of stuff that he doesn't talk about now. I don't think he even tells Steve what happened."

"He doesn't tell me either." Erik shrugged. "So what do you think? You said he saw me like he is, what do you think?" His interest was piqued against his will. Bruce was good at talking.

Bruce shrugged. "I don't know. I still think Buck likes you a whole lot. I think you did some shitty stuff, but everyone here has. Hell, I have. Doesn't exactly mean you're a terrible person, but you're definitely not a good one either. Just depends, I guess, on how you see things."

"Righ-" Erik started, but Steve walked in before he could continue. He wasn't really sure how he felt about Steve yet, so he tried not to talk too much around him. Keep his guard up.

Steve frowned. "Am I interrupting anything?"

"Nah." Bruce smiled. "Nice to see you too captain. I gave him some pain meds, but they'll wear off in a few hours. Do you want me to give you the bottle to give him more, or do I have permissions to go through the door?"

"You have the same permissions as all of us, Doctor. You can give him more whenever you think he needs them. I think I'll be movie Bucky's room away from his though, I think talking to him may have triggered something and I don't want it to happen again. Bucky was pretty upset that he hurt him too. I think it's better for everybody that way."

Bruce shrugged. "I guess. I'll give him more meds in a few hours then I guess. I'll let you know when I do."

Erik relaxed a bit as he felt the pain meds kicking in. Must be pretty strong. The throbbing in his chest melted into a faint wisp of pain even as Steve guided him up and back into the hallway. Walking hurt, but moving wasn't as terrible as it had been. "So who is Bucky?" Everyone probably had a pretty different view of everyone else here from what he'd seen.

"An old friend." Steve smiled to himself, but did not elaborate as he pushed Erik into his cell, making sure to lock the door securely, leaving him alone once again.

Fuck.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm putting this as the end for now, but there will be another chapter soon. Possibly more. I want to have some noice Bucky/Erik, but I don't want to force it so this may get kinda long tbh


End file.
